Why Good People Do Bad Things: Insights for Understanding Ourselves

Working with the Shadow does not mean working with evil. It means working towards greater wholeness. Until we can love our unlovable places, we will never experience healing, as they also require love from us. Why do good people do bad things? Why is our personal and societal history so bloody, repetitive, and harmful to ourselves and others? How do we make sense of the differences between who we believe we are and who we present to the outside world, and our everyday actions? What drives otherwise ordinary people to addictions and compulsions such as alcohol, drugs, food, shopping, infidelity, or the Internet? Why are interpersonal relationships often filled with conflict?

Why Good People Do Bad Things explores Carl Jung's concept of the Shadow, the unconscious parts of ourselves that contradict the image we want to project. The book guides readers through the ways in which many seemingly unexplainable behaviors are manifestations of the Shadow. In addition to its presence in our personal lives, the author looks at how the Shadow operates in our culture, from organized religion to the suffering and injustice that prevail in the modern world. Hollis suggests that accepting and examining the Shadow as part of ourselves is the first step towards wholeness. The book reveals a new way of understanding our darker selves and offers wisdom to help readers lead a more conscious life and bring a new level of awareness to their daily actions and choices.

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